site.btaEnvironment Minister: Every Third Water Facility Inspected on Black Sea Coast Is in Violation of Regulations

Less than half of the water facilities inspected along the Black Sea coast are compliant with regulations and one-third of them violated legal requirements, Environment and Water Minister Manol Genov said here on Tuesday. He analyzed the results of an inspection carried out by his Ministry after the floods of October 3.

The inspection found that water bodies are not accurately depicted on the cadastral map in many areas. This has permitted construction on riverbeds and streams, and the filling or covering of water channels, without the coordination procedures required by the Water Act and the relevant authorities at the Ministry of Environment and Water. "That is why I ordered that the findings of the inspections be used to prepare combined maps showing the location of water bodies, which have already been sent to the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works and the National Construction Control Directorate," said Minister Genov.

The teams inspected over 20 water bodies, covering 52 river sections - 16 on the northern Black Sea coast and 36 on the southern coast. The results show that 27% of the surveyed river basins have violations, 38% comply with the regulations, and the rest require cleaning and monitoring. The areas most affected are St. Vlas, Elenite, Lozenets, Tsarevo, Sunny Beach and Varna. Protected natural areas such as those along the Ropotamo, Veleka, Karaagach and Butamyata rivers are in good condition. During their field inspections, the inspectors found 14 river sections with impaired conductivity, seven covered or piped sections, nine sections with construction on them, six sections with corrections made and five sections that had been cleaned.

During their field inspections, the inspectors found that 14 river sections had impaired conductivity. Of these, seven were covered or piped, nine had construction work taking place on them, six had been corrected, and five had been corrected and cleaned. Eight sections have been cleaned but not corrected, ten have not been corrected or cleaned, and only twenty sections have no violations.

In the urbanized areas of St. Vlas, Elenite, Lozenets and Tsarevo, the Ministry of Environment and Water has informed the mayors and regional governors in a timely manner about the reduced conductivity of water currents. According to the analysis of the inspection data, there are no violations in the protected areas, such as Ropotamo, Vaya, Karaagach, Aheloy, and Butamyata, and the watercourses have natural conductivity. The floods on the southern Black Sea coast, including in the Elenite and Tsarevo areas, are the result of a critical combination of natural and anthropogenic factors, as well as non-compliance with explicit legal procedures – a combination that led to fatal consequences.

The natural factor is defined as intense short-term rainfall, which quickly accumulates water. The anthropogenic factors include infrastructure such as culverts, bridges and embankments, which are not designed for current hydro-climatic conditions and do not provide the necessary conductivity during periods of extreme rainfall. Many of these facilities are poorly maintained and not adapted to the new realities resulting from climate change, which manifests itself in more frequent and intense short-term rainfall. Therefore, construction in flood-prone areas and covering riverbeds plays a significant role in retaining and diverting water masses, resulting in flooding.

A detailed report of all the findings will be sent to the relevant authorities - the regional governors, the mayors of the municipalities, the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, and the National Construction Control Directorate - who will then take appropriate action.